Considered a front-runner to host World Expo 2030, Saudi Arabia is now moving closer to hosting the international event in Riyadh.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received the Secretary-General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Dimitri Kerkentzes in Riyadh and discussed the kingdom’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Riyadh between October 1, 2030, and March 31, 2031, under the theme The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow.

Riyadh launched the Expo 2030 bid last December and has earned the backing of a number of nations, including China, Serbia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.

The other candidates in the fray include South Korea (Busan), Italy (Rome), Ukraine (Odesa), and Russia (Moscow).

In September, Saudi Arabian officials gave a presentation during a general assembly of the BIE in Paris, and submitted the official dossier that forms part of its official bid.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha said Saudi Arabia aims to host an Expo that can connect, collaborate and drive collective action towards sustainable development goals.

From his side, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Climate Envoy Adel Al-Jubeir stressed that World Expo 2030 is considered a great opportunity to reverse more than a century of negative trends and will strengthen the way of working together in order to create a better future.

Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to UNESCO, Princess Haifa Al Muqrin, noted the World Expo 2030 in Riyadh will represent the “ideal Forum” for raising an unprecedented commitment to address the challenges of 2030 and beyond.

The kingdom’s bid to host World Expo 2030 aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the Saudi economy and boost the tourism and recreation sectors.